


Nobody's Bitch

by L_Moonshade



Series: Altered Realities [10]
Category: Highlander: The Series, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Gen, Lauguage, Misogyny, Sexual Harassment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-29
Updated: 2014-08-29
Packaged: 2018-02-15 06:33:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2219415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/L_Moonshade/pseuds/L_Moonshade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With Methos gone and Phil and Clint keeping their distance, Kate is the perfect victim.<br/>Or is she?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nobody's Bitch

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place between chapters 7 and 8 of Obligatory Training Montage.
> 
> Also, I've tried to cover everything in the warnings. If there's something I've missed, please let me know!

Now that Lang and I were back on speaking terms, I started noticing things that worried me. The more I watched, the more I started to think that her new, quiet nature wasn't so much loneliness and guilt as it was something else. I started keeping an eye on things and noticed that she seemed to be worse after speaking to her group trainer and didn't that just concern the hell out of me. I couldn't go to the director, though, not without some concrete proof, so I started watching even closer, hoping to see something.

Even so, it took a couple of weeks. I saw Lang leaving the break room, looking as if she'd had a run-in, so I went in to talk to the guy. Unfortunately, Patterson wasn't alone. He was with another trainee in Lang's group, and the guy was giving Patterson dark looks, making me hope he'd seen or heard something. Patterson glanced up and gave me a smile I didn't return, finished grabbing his coffee, then left.

"Sitwell, right?"

The trainee's head shot up with a deer-in-the-headlights look. "Y-yeah."

This guy was going to be a SHIELD agent? "You don't seem to like your group leader a whole lot."

That didn't seem to comfort him. "Is that a requirement, Sir?"

I scoffed. "It's Barton, not Sir, and no. I'm just wondering if there's a specific reason."

He considered that for a minute. "You and Lang are friends, right? It's just that I've heard stuff…"

"Not all of which you can believe. But that part's true, yeah."

Sitwell nodded, coming to a decision. "Patterson's harassing her. The other day I walked in on him massaging her neck. It could have been nothing more than doing something nice, but…"

"But he's an agent and she's a trainee. And he's a slimy bastard."

Sitwell nodded, looking relieved. "I talked her into going to HR. In fact, we just got done."

"I'm guessing it didn't go well?"

Sitwell shook his head. "They made it perfectly clear they wouldn't take a trainee's word over an established agent's. Especially hers, after…"

I nodded, feeling a cold anger. "She's paid her dues for that, and she never lied." I grabbed a pen and a napkin to jot my number down. "If you see him going after her again, text or call me. If I can catch him in the act, they'll have to do something."

He looked relieved. "You've got it. Thanks, Agent Barton."

"Thanks for watching out for her."

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

It happened the next night, which was good timing. R&D had given me a new phone, one that took videos as well as photos, to test out and I hadn't given it back. It was late, almost three, and I was just drifting off when I got the text from Sitwell telling me that Lang was working out, and Patterson was on his way down to the gym.

When I got there, Patterson was just stepping out of the doorway to the women's changing room and I couldn't see Lang. I pulled out the phone and started recording, just in time to catch him saying, "The girl and I are just going back to her room."

"Not until I hear from Lang that she's okay with that," Sitwell said. Apparently he hadn't trusted I'd get there in time and decided to confront Patterson himself, the idiot. I was starting to like this guy.

Patterson reached back and grabbed Lang's arm, dragging her forward; she let out a little squeak of pain and I could see his fingers digging into her arm. "Tell him you want to go with me, so we can get out of here without hurting him."

"What?" She sounded confused, but she couldn't misunderstand him, could she? And how the hell did the director not know about this guy? He couldn't have missed… that's when it hit me. Delaware knew what was going on, and Lang wasn't confused at all. And this right here? This was going to be awesome.

Patterson turned on her. "If he tries to stop me, I'm going to have to hurt him. Because I'm not letting anyone take this chance away from me."

"What if I don't want…?"

He grabbed her other arm and shook her. "You stupid cunt, don't you get it? I. Don't. Care."

And there it was, the proof we were all looking for. "Hey, Lang, did you know R&D has these new phones that take video?" I called down. "The picture and sound's as clear as if it were a full-sized camera."

She cocked her head. "Really?"

"Yep. They gave me one to test this morning. Haven't had a chance to give it back, yet."

She grinned. "Well, well. Isn't that interesting?"

"What…?"

Before Patterson could say anything more, she stomped on his instep, making him let go and howl. She used him as a lever to get herself up and swung around, throwing her legs around his neck and using her momentum to take him down then tightened her legs around his neck and twisted his head into an awkward position, making it perfectly clear the advantage she had.

"You will get up and walk away from this, or I will take you down again. And this time, I will break your neck. Am I clear?" Gone was the quiet, almost timid woman I'd seen during her retraining. Her voice was strong and dangerous, and damn was I glad to hear it.

"Yeah," he croaked.

She held him a moment longer just to prove she could, then let go and rolled into a backward somersault that brought her to her feet. Patterson stood and I saw him consider his options.

"Walk away or I will shoot you," I told him.

He paled and hurried off.

I couldn't see Sitwell from where I was, but I could hear the confusion in his voice when he said, "What the fuck? What the actual fuck?"

Lang gave him an apologetic smile. "The director thought that, with the issues I've had, Patterson may see me as the perfect victim. I just needed iron clad proof. Thanks for sticking up for me, though. I owe you."

"You want to pay me back? Teach me that move."

She grinned. "Done. But later, huh? I'm beat."

"No kidding," he said through a yawn. "Good night, Agent Barton."

"Night, Sitwell."

Once he was gone, I slid the vent aside and dropped into the gym, grabbing Lang and pulling her into a hug that she returned. "You have no idea how worried I was."

"Sorry I couldn't tell you, but the director didn't want anyone else to know."

"He shouldn't have left you without any backup."

She sighed. "I went to HR…"

"Sitwell told me how that went."

She nodded. "When that happened, the director and I decided not to do anything until we had proof on Patterson. The director feels that HR needs a bit of retraining."

I nodded. "Good. I'll email you a copy of the video."

"Okay. And Barton? Thanks for having my back."

I shrugged. "I may be pissed at you, but no one deserves to be treated like that. Can we go to bed, now?"

She laughed. "Sounds good to me."

I walked her to her quarters. "Look, I'm sorry I put you in a position where you were a target for him." He only preyed on the trainees without friends, the ones who were timid and quiet.

"You had every reason to," she said. "Besides, it worked out for the best. Now the director has reason to cut him loose."

"Yeah, but still." I hesitated, then leaned down and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Good night, Fluffy."

She laughed. "Night, Carny."

I went to bed impressed with her. She'd done her best to pay her penance and, in the process, turned what could have been a terrible situation into a positive. She was going to be a damned good agent. And, I thought, a damned good friend.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, thanks to Raynbowz for the beta. All mistakes are mine.


End file.
